• NET Web Desk

The Assam Chief Minister – Himanta Biswa Sarma today handed-over the first instalment of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to around 15 thousand beneficiaries of Sivasagar and Charaideo districts.

The chief minister approved the first instalment during a programme held at Sivasagar’s Gargaon in Assam.

PMAY is a central scheme that aims to deliver affordable dwellings to the weaker sections of the society.

Notably, there are around five lakh beneficiaries for PMAY, with an additional eight lakh beneficiaries expected to be added under the flagship scheme.

PM Narendra Modi also interacted with these beneficiaries remotely during the Sammelan, in order to assess how these schemes have made people’ lives easier.

The discussion centred on the impact of such programmes among individuals, such as – housing, access to drinkable water, food, health and nutrition, livelihood, and financial inclusion.

Such interactions are designed to emphasize the projects’ people-centered approach and inform the government about the public’s desires.

“The government aims to ensure that all areas of society, regardless of social strata, are effectively served so that no one is left out of the government’s welfare programmes,” the CM added.

Sarma urged the cultivators to take full benefits of the scheme and said, “Government has both the means and the energy to bring more beneficiaries inside the purview of this flagship programme. Farmers in the state should come out and take advantage of this programme.”

While distributing the first instalment of the PMAY to the five lakh recipients, Sarma advised them to make good use of the money, explaining that if they did, they would be eligible for the second and third instalments.

Taking to Twitter, the Assam CM wrote “Glad to be a part of Garib Kalyan Sammelan where Adarniya PM Shri @narendramodi ji interacted with beneficiaries of around 15 schemes from across the country. Grateful to Adarniya PM for his margdarshan & for constantly motivating us to strive to serve our people better.”

“The interaction not only reflected Govt’s people-centric approach but also enlightened us on our people’s hopes & aspirations. I also gave away sanction letters of ₹32,500 as 1st instalment to each PMAY beneficiary & sanction letters of 11th instalment of PMKISAN beneficiaries.” – he further added.